Page 27 of Wynter and the Stone Dragon

She focused on healing the plants. In the background, she could hear Giaf and Pow-pow talking. Pride, love, and satisfaction swept through her when they laughed.

“You’ve worked another miracle, I see,” Khalid said.

Wynter rose to her feet and twirled when she heard Khalid speak behind her. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She groaned, wanting to bury her hands in his hair, but refraining when she remembered they were dirty.

“You don’t fight fair,” she moaned when he gave her a chance to breathe.

“Never, especially when it comes to you,” he teased, kissing the tip of her nose. “How did you get him to relax with a dragon?”

She studied Giaf. He was sitting on the steps, nodding his head to something Pow-pow was telling him. For her, it seemed perfectly natural for the two to be having a conversation. Yet, even back home, such a scene would be unusual. The thought of her home brought a fresh wave of grief.

“I thought you were in meetings until late tonight,” she said.

“I stayed for the ones I had to and delegated the others to Adham and Giaf… if he can pull himself away from Pow-pow.”

Silence settled between them as they watched Giaf and Pow-pow. Wynter sighed when Khalid slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Why does life have to be so complicated?” she wondered aloud.

Khalid kissed her temple, and she released a shuddering breath. The warmth of his lips was soothing. He hugged her tighter.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded, turning her to face him.

Biting her lip, she tilted her face away from him. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. She blinked back the tears clouding her vision.

“I’ve been gone too long. If I don’t return soon, my parents are bound to know that something has happened. They will search for me.”

Denial flared in his eyes. “You belong here, Wynter, with me.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. She needed to go back, to tell her parents what had happened, but what if they tried to stop her from returning to Khalid?

“I have a few more days,” she said, opening her eyes and hoping they didn’t reveal her lie.

Khalid cupped her cheeks. “We’ll have a lifetime together,” he vowed.

* * *

They spent the afternoon together. Khalid remained by her side, as if afraid to let her out of his sight. They ate dinner out in the garden with Ayesha and Giaf. Pow-pow was taking advantage of the new moon to help clean up some of the rubble in the city. Giaf had commented that the residents—and the engineers—had been amazed at how quickly the debris was cleared.

There’s nothing like having a rock-eating dragon when you need to clean up rock,she mused.

As the sun set, they settled in Faiza’s library. Wynter understood why the Queen had loved this room. There was something magical in the décor, like her father Arastan’s tomes at home.

On one wall, a row of windows and doors overlooked the garden. Her mother Lyia’s garden was much more exotic, the plants from many different worlds, yet, there was the same peacefulness of nature.

“If… you returned to your world, how long would you be gone?” Khalid asked, his voice husky with emotion.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. They were always touching when they were together. Her parents were the same. It was like there was a magnetic force pulling them together. She leaned her head back against his shoulder while she gazed out at the garden.

“Hopefully only a few days. I have a lot of explaining to do to my parents. They…. They aren’t aware that I have the powers that I do. When I was little, it was fun having them and my sisters and brothers doing everything. It was like a game. As I grew older, I realized that I was different… not in a bad way, but that I could do more than they could. My game became more of a secret,” she said, feeling the weight of her deceit.

“What if I came with you? Is that possible?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. She had never thought about taking Khalid back with her, but that made sense. After all, if she was going to be with him, she would still want to see her family.

“I… don’t see why not. Would it be safe for you to leave so soon after everything that has happened?”

Khalid shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Adham would oversee things while I’m gone, and my uncle is no longer a threat. I love you, Wynter. All of this… will mean more to me with you by my side. I want to know more about you and your world,” he said.

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